Legal Name Change - before or after obtaining citizenship? What are your thoughts?

[Becksterd]

You will still need a legal name change because ur Canadian citizenship certificate is in the wrong order. When you get your legal name change you can change your SIN name and continue with loan processing and alongside submit application for new citizenship certificate (proof of citizenship). Once you get the new proof you can get CAD passport. You will need your name in the right order eventually for CPP.

name change will take time, you need to get police clearance they might make a fuss, take your citizenship certificate in wrong order and ur passport in right order and any birth certificates you have to show the correct name including licence. Once you get the clearance you can go to registry and apply for name change certificate.

 

[fantazyprince]

You will still need a legal name change because ur Canadian citizenship certificate is in the wrong order. When you get your legal name change you can change your SIN name and continue with loan processing and alongside submit application for new citizenship certificate (proof of citizenship). Once you get the new proof you can get CAD passport. You will need your name in the right order eventually for CPP.

Actually I have correct name order in Canadian passport as when I applied one, officer there asked me what name I want to use as my first name and she corrected to get the correct name order on passport. Only issue is with SIN , government record and citizenship certificate has reversed name order. So I think I better proceed with legal name change to get SIN and correct name order in Service Canada record to get my loan approval. Do I need birth certificate from my home country for legal name change? I checked online and saw birth certificate in one of the list. How long will it take to get name change certificate to apply for SIN with correct name order? Thanks for your advice though. Appreciate.

 

[Becksterd]

You don't need a new certificate to have a passport after the name change, a name change certificate is enough now

When did that change, because when I called regarding my passport they told me citizenship certificate has to be in the right order, so I submitted my application for new proof (it also said on CIC for legal name change) and its been stuck there since JAN 2021 now because of Afghan crisis.

 

[Becksterd]

Actually I have correct name order in Canadian passport as when I applied one, officer there asked me what name I want to use as my first name and she corrected to get the correct name order on passport. Only issue is with SIN , government record and citizenship certificate has reversed name order. So I think I better proceed with legal name change to get SIN and correct name order in Service Canada record to get my loan approval. Do I need birth certificate from my home country for legal name change? I checked online and saw birth certificate in one of the list. How long will it take to get name change certificate to apply for SIN with correct name order? Thanks for your advice though. Appreciate.

You are lucky, they didnt let me apply for Canadian passport with wrong name on citizen certificate. Now I am stuck waiting for new proof certificate.

Name change takes maybe 1-2 months... police clearance and then name change at registry.

 

[fantazyprince]

name change will take time, you need to get police clearance they might make a fuss, take your citizenship certificate in wrong order and ur passport in right order and any birth certificates you have to show the correct name including licence. Once you get the clearance you can go to registry and apply for name change certificate.

so can I get a SIN with correct name order once I get the name change certificate? Can I use the notarized copy of my birth certificate when I applied for my PR ? Why the police make a mess as long as our records are clear . thanks again.

 

[Becksterd]

so can I get a SIN with correct name order once I get the name change certificate? Can I use the notarized copy of my birth certificate when I applied for my PR ? Why the police make a mess as long as our records are clear . thanks again.

contact Service Canada and make sure you can change SIN after legal name change. I have not attempted this step yet.
I'm sure whatever copy you have of birth certificate is fine.

 

[Becksterd]

so can I get a SIN with correct name order once I get the name change certificate? Can I use the notarized copy of my birth certificate when I applied for my PR ? Why the police make a mess as long as our records are clear . thanks again.

I'm not sure which province u are in, check online legal name change (province) make sure steps are updated and correct. I am in Alberta

 

[fantazyprince]

I'm not sure which province u are in, check online legal name change (province) make sure steps are updated and correct. I am in Alberta

Thank You. I will double check on that. I'm in Alberta as well. I need to done that asap to get my loan payment as I'm already attending my school and I paid tuition and fees paid from my credit line because of that name issue

 

[fantazyprince]

But according to IRCC, if the error was made by them, they will correct it . I have that name mistake when I get my PR and I'm pretty sure it's their mistake as I have correct name order prior to that. So in your case, did you try to correct with IRCC first before the name change process ?

 

[eanassah]

• #29

Hello everyone,

I wrote my citizenship test on July 14, 2021. I immediately got the results via e-mail - PASS. On July 16.

Today it is September 23, 2021 (over 2 months) and I have not heard anything from them at all. Is this normal waiting time? I was under the impression that within couple of weeks I would either get a request for an interview or some alternatively some information for the Oath Ceremony.

My online status says:

• Language skills
  In progress
• Physical presence
  In progress
• Citizenship test
  Completed
• Background verification
  Completed
• Prohibitions
  In progress
• Citizenship ceremony
  Not started

 

[Becksterd]

But according to IRCC, if the error was made by them, they will correct it . I have that name mistake when I get my PR and I'm pretty sure it's their mistake as I have correct name order prior to that. So in your case, did you try to correct with IRCC first before the name change process ?

yes if IRCC fault then chase them.

 

[fantazyprince]

• #29

Hello everyone,

I wrote my citizenship test on July 14, 2021. I immediately got the results via e-mail - PASS. On July 16.

Today it is September 23, 2021 (over 2 months) and I have not heard anything from them at all. Is this normal waiting time? I was under the impression that within couple of weeks I would either get a request for an interview or some alternatively some information for the Oath Ceremony.

My online status says:

• Language skills
  In progress
• Physical presence
  In progress
• Citizenship test
  Completed
• Background verification
  Completed
• Prohibitions
  In progress
• Citizenship ceremony
  Not started

I think its normal. will take about 3 or 4 months in total I believe. I got mine in 4 months.

 

[armoured]

I have a similar situation. I have my First and Last name interchanged in the IRCC record and Instead of AA as first name BB as last name, I have AA as last name and BB as my first name in government record. I have been to service Canada twice and they cannot do anything apart from advising me to contact IRCC and they also advised me that legal name change request is not needed in my case. All my other IDs like driver license, health card and passport has correct order of my name despite my Canadian citizen certificate came out as wrong first and last name in position according to IRCC record. But I couldn't get a hold of IRCC and I'm lost as to what to do with that. I applied for my student loan and now my application is on hold because of the wrong order of name on my SIN . Please advise if you have any knowledge on this matter.

It's not entirely clear what happened here but - IF it truly was an error by IRCC - go to your MP and ask for assistance.

Again, IF (and only if) it was their error than the advice from service canada may be wrong.

[BUT - there is something that doesn't hold together in your explanation, ie 'interchanged in the IRCC record' - was it like that from the beginning? When did the error come up? When you became a PR?]

Also, if it was like that for many years before you decided to deal with it (even if originally it was an IRCC error) - well, now it gets complicated. Use a name long enough, that's now your name.

If it is NOT an IRCC error but something else, you probalby will need to do a legal name change. YOu may also want to see a lawyer/legal assistance; it's possible there is some interim step that could help with your other issues. (There's a way to swear an affidavit that eg AA BB and BB AA are one and the same and I am them - but again, don't know if that will help in your case.)

 

[fantazyprince]

It's not entirely clear what happened here but - IF it truly was an error by IRCC - go to your MP and ask for assistance.

Again, IF (and only if) it was their error than the advice from service canada may be wrong.

[BUT - there is something that doesn't hold together in your explanation, ie 'interchanged in the IRCC record' - was it like that from the beginning? When did the error come up? When you became a PR?]

Also, if it was like that for many years before you decided to deal with it (even if originally it was an IRCC error) - well, now it gets complicated. Use a name long enough, that's now your name.

If it is NOT an IRCC error but something else, you probalby will need to do a legal name change. YOu may also want to see a lawyer/legal assistance; it's possible there is some interim step that could help with your other issues. (There's a way to swear an affidavit that eg AA BB and BB AA are one and the same and I am them - but again, don't know if that will help in your case.)

thanks for the suggestion. When I first came here to Canada , I have my name in correct order then I got my PR in 2016 and noticed my name became interchanged . I informed to my immigration consultant that time and was told it shouldn't be any issue. So the time I arrived here till before I got my PR , my name is in correct order. I believe they messed up my name while processing my PR application and I didn't aware that and didn't know it would become an issue until I have my student loan application got hold due to incorrect naming order. My last resort is to do legal name change, but I couldn't get a hold of any one from IRCC to ask about the correct way to fix that. Service Canada officer said legal name change is not needed in my case but I am not entirely sure with the IRCC side though. Email reply from IRCC said they will correct if the mistake is from them without any charges but I don't know how they will rectify whether the mistake is from them or not. And I do not want to risk sending my application along with Citizenship certificate and wait for the ages without knowing if they will fix it or not.

 

[limhockkiong]

@fantazyprince I don't think you need a name change if you have other provincial documents (Alberta's driver's license and AHS card) with your name in the right order. I think you just need a name AMENDMENT. Reach out to Vital Statistics to confirm though.

My case (this post) is different as I have no Canadian documents nor home country documents that have the name in the right order I need for my Canadian docs.